Scrubber and method of using scrubber

ABSTRACT

A portable scrubber and methodology for using the scrubber, the scrubber for scrubbing objects such as tools, garden equipment, metal objects, kitchenware, footwear, sporting equipment, grills, plastic objects, and small household objects, and the like, while avoiding the associated mess and pain of the manual scrubbing process. The scrubber has a bottom carriage, a vertical support extending above the bottom carriage and a top carriage hinged to the vertical support. Flaps between the top ad bottom carriages help to suppress the escape of cleaning fluids from the scrubber. A motor in the bottom carriage drives brushes in each of the top and bottom carriages through a drive system. Components of the drive system include sprockets attached to the brushes and timing belts for driving the sprockets. The drive system also includes a driven sprocket having its axis of rotation corresponding to the axis of the hinge and a water containment system. Flaps and suction from and exhaust prevent leakage of fluid and contain undesirable particles from escaping. A basket that can be inserted between the brushes allows smaller objects to be cleansed without loss or damage.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/416,201 filed Oct. 4,2002.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING”

[0003] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] 1. Field of the Invention

[0005] The present invention relates to cleaning devices having powerrotated brushes and more particularly to such cleaning devices whichhouse the brushes in separate carriages that open and close to receivean item to be cleaned.

[0006] 2. Description of Related Art

[0007] Cleaning dirty household items, for example shovels, grills,pans, dishes, car parts, and so forth, has, in the past, beenproblematic. Industrial as well as commercial establishments also haveproblems with cleaning parts and tools. This is due in part becausedebris has a tendency to tightly adhere to the item, particularly whereoils or grease is involved. Thus, people usually resort to manuallycleaning the item or may go so far as to discard the item in the garbageso as to avoid time consuming difficult scrubbing.

[0008] A simple example includes grills that are found in most homes.Debris, grease, dirt, fire residue and the like is highly adherent tothe surface of the grill and can only be removed by someone physicallyscrubbing the grill. In the past, wire brushes have been used on grillsand tools, but these brushes are crude, quickly rust, and frequentlyscratch/injure the individual using the brush, even when the individualuses the brush with great care. People even resort to using steel woolfor cleaning objects. Then, after these objects are finally cleaned, thebig clean-up must commence, because the debris removed from the objecthas a tendency to move onto adjacent areas such as counters, sinks,and/or basins making these area filthy.

[0009] Other cleaning methods include use of cleaning fluids and/orchemical cleaning as may be used on oven or stove parts and cleaning ina dishwasher. Steam cleaners can force debris into the air and soniccleaners have material as well as other limitations. These conventionalcleaning methods are both time consuming and/or costly. Althoughdishwashers have improved cleansing abilities for dishes and the like,but they do not provide adequate mechanical scrubbing, are not portable,and are large and costly. Steam cleaners are not well adapted to containthe debris, fumes or the heated steam produced by the steam cleaningoperation.

[0010] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to providea machine that can clean and scrub objects, including hard to cleanobjects, in a quick and easy manner with a minimal amount of mess andwhich requires a minimal amount of clean-up.

[0011] Another object is to provide such a machine that is easy tooperate and easy to clean.

[0012] Another objective is to enable the use of steam in a containmentthereby improving the cleaning efficacy and prevent fumes from escaping.

[0013] A further object is to provide a scrubber for hard to cleanarticles that has upper and lower hinged carriages, each carriageincluding rotating scrubbing brushes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention provides a scrubber that fills the longfelt need for a scrubber which quickly cleans even the most dirty itemswithout making a mess, and without requiring a significant amount ofclean-up. The scrubber comprises a motorized washing and scrubbingmachine and system to clean a variety of household and industrial itemssuch as, for example, tools, garden equipment, objects made of metal,wood, plastic and combinations thereof, kitchenware, footwear, sportingequipment, grills, plastic objects and small household objects.

[0015] The scrubber has an interior cleaning zone defined between anupper and a lower carriage that are hinged together. The user simplyopens the scrubber and insert objects to be cleaned into the cleansingzone. The upper and lower carriages each include a plurality ofmotorized brushes for scrubbing an object or objects in the cleaningzone between the carriages. Large objects are held in the cleaning zoneusing a holder or handle that extends into the cleaning zone from theexterior of the scrubber. Small objects to be cleaned are retained in abasket placed in the cleaning zone.

[0016] Fluids, such as, for example water and detergent, can beintroduced into the cleaning zone through common or separate inlets inthe upper carriage and spent fluids are discharged from the cleaningzone through a bottom outlet in the lower carriage. If desired, the usercan introduce fluids before activating the scrubber or the inlet can behooked up to any garden spout or faucet to supply water during operationof the scrubber. Different fluids to accommodate different cleaningsituations can be used. An exhaust hose extending from the bottom outletneed only sit in a drain enabling the user to direct dirty water andparticles removed from the cleaning zone to the sewer.

[0017] The opposite sides of upper and lower carriages meet in arelatively fluid tight closure that serves to contain fluids, debris andfumes in the cleaning zone. Flaps extending from the front and rearedges of the carriages provide a relatively fluid tight closure at thefront and rear of the carriages. These flaps over lap and serve tosuppress the discharge of fluids from the scrubber. Larger items canprotrude through such flaps and the material of the flaps contours withthe shape of the item.

[0018] Accordingly, the fluid tight closure along the opposite sides ofthe carriages and the over lapping flaps at the front and rear surroundthe cleaning zone to suppress the escape of fluids thereby eliminatingthe mess associated with present cleaning and scrubbing techniques.

[0019] When a large object such as a shovel or the like is inserted intothe cleaning zone, a handle (or a holder for large objects that do nothave handles) is accommodated by the flexible rubber flaps that bendaround the handle (or holder). This allows the user to stand away fromthe scrubber and still rotate or otherwise manipulate the object in thecleaning zone for better cleaning and scrubbing particular areas of theobject. Although fluid is not completely contained within the scrubberwhen cleaning such large objects, the quantity of fluid that does leakor escape from the scrubber is relatively small.

[0020] To clean small objects, a small basket, for example a wire meshbasket, which accommodates small objects, is placed into the cleaningzone. The basket effectively prevents small objects from uncontrollablymoving about in the scrubber interior.

[0021] An exhaust fan connected to the cleaning zone creates a slightnegative pressure in the cleaning zone. This negative pressure helps tomove spent cleaning fluids and debris into an exhaust outlet and reducesquantity of fluid that may leak from the scrubber interior.

[0022] The brushes are self-cleaning in that brushes in both the upperand lower carriages respectively rotate in opposite directions and presstogether so the scraping of one brush against another cleans therespective brushes. Brushes of the upper carriage are prevented fromcontacting brushes of the lower carriage for safety reasons.

[0023] The brushes also are removable, allowing for worn brushes to beeasily replaced. Additionally, brushes made of different materialshaving different stiffness are easily inserted and removed from thecarriages.

[0024] A trigger on the upper carriage can control brush speed androtational direction. This allows the user to modify both brush speedand direction to further enhance cleaning and scrubbing capabilities. Adirected steam inlet is also provided to soften debris and assist incleaning.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025]FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the scrubber in a closedposition;

[0026]FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the scrubber;

[0027]FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the scrubber in a closedposition, partly broken away and in section to show selected internalcomponents;

[0028]FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the scrubber bottom carriagewith certain components removed;

[0029]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the scrubber in an open position;

[0030]FIG. 6 is perspective view showing a portion of the scrubber topcarriage;

[0031]FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the drive system of thescrubber;

[0032]FIG. 8 is schematic view showing the scrubber in use;

[0033]FIG. 9 is a top view of a basket as may be used with the scrubberof the present invention;

[0034]FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the basket of FIG. 9; and

[0035]FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of the scrubber showing thebasket of FIGS. 9 and 10 positioned therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the scrubber of thepresent invention generally indicated at 20. The scrubber comprises atop carriage 22 and a bottom carriage 24 which both carry scrubberbrushes 100 a and 100 b respectively shown in dotted line. A verticalsupport 26 extending upward from the bottom carriage includes a hinge, aportion of which is shown at 28, that has its pivot point at 30. Thehinge in turn is connected to the top carriage 22 allowing the topcarriage to articulate or pivot about the pivot point 30 from the closedposition as shown in FIG. 1 to an open position as shown in FIG. 5.Between the top and bottom carriages is a cleaning zone 49.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, the top carriage 22 has side walls 32, afront wall 34, a rear wall 36 and a top 38. The bottom of the topcarriage is open. Extending through the top 38 are a fluid inlet 40 anda cleaner inlet 42. The top carriage also has a handle 44 and a trigger46 for purposes of operating brushes within the scrubber set outhereinbelow.

[0038] The top carriage carries a fluid distribution and spray systemincluding a plurality of pipes 39 fixed to the underside of the top 38(FIGS. 5 and 7). The pipes are connected to the fluid inlet 40 and arearranged to spray a cleaning fluid such as water or steam down into thecleaning zone 49 between the top and bottom carriages. The fluid inlet40, in turn, may be connected to any fluid/water source such as a hose,faucet or water spigot (not shown). While the cleaner inlet 42 is shownas communicating directly to the interior of the top carriage (FIGS. 3and 7), it should be appreciated that the cleaner inlet also may beconnected to the pipes 39. This would allow a cleaner to be intimatelymixed with the water in the pipes so that special cleaning compositionsand solutions are dispensed into the cleaning zone along with the sprayfrom the pipes.

[0039] While water is mentioned as the fluid introduced into thescrubber through pipes 39, this is for illustrative purposes only andfluids other than water may be pumped into the inlet 40. Additionally,the piping 39 may comprise bendable tubing that diverts fluid flow asthe device is opened to reduce spraying of fluids outside the scrubber20. The user may direct the tubing and a valve may prevent fluid flowwhen the device is opened.

[0040] Referring again to FIG. 1, the bottom carriage 24 is similar tothe top carriage in that it has side walls 48, a front wall 50, a rearwall 52 and a bottom 54. The bottom carriage is open at its top and hasan outlet 56 that extends from the rear wall adjacent its bottom. Alatch 58 pivotally attached to a side wall 48 of the bottom carriage canengage a pin 60 on the top carriage to lock the top and bottom carriagesin the closed position.

[0041] As best seen in FIG. 6, the top carriage includes two interiorside walls 62 (only one being shown) that extend generally parallel tothe side walls 32 from front to rear so as to define an elongatedchannel 64 at each side of the top carriage. A cap 66, generallyU-shaped in cross section, is attached to each side and interior wall32, 62 respectively to close off the channels. The bottom face 68 ofeach cap provides a sealing surface along each side of the top carriage.Along the front wall 34 of the top carriage is a sealing flap 70. Thisflap along with a pair of similar sealing flaps 72 at the rear of thetop carriage (FIG. 3) and the sealing surfaces provided by the bottomfaces of caps 66 help to contain fluids within a closed scrubber.

[0042] Each of the interior walls 62 has a plurality of spaced notches65 (FIGS. 5 and 6). The notches on opposite interior walls 62 are paredand receive the ends of the brushes 100 a as described furtherhereinbelow.

[0043] As best seen in FIG. 4, the interior of the bottom carriage 24includes two interior side walls 74 that extend generally parallel tothe sides walls 48 from front to rear so as to define an elongatedchannel 76 at each side of the bottom carriage. A cap 78, also generallyU-shaped in cross section, is attached to the side and interior walls48, 74 respectively to close off the channels. The top face 80 of eachcap 78 provides a sealing surface along each side of the bottomcarriage. Along the front wall 50 of the bottom carriage is a sealingflap 82. This flap 82 along with a similar sealing flap 82 along aninterior transverse dividing wall 84 towards the rear of the bottomcarriage and in conjunction with the sealing surfaces provided by thetop faces 80 of caps 78 help to contain fluids within a closed scrubber.

[0044] In this respect, when the top and bottom carriages are in aclosed position as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the sealing surfaces defined bythe top faces 80 of caps 78 press against the corresponding sealingsurfaces defined by the bottom faces 68 of the caps 66 on the topcarriage. Likewise, the flaps 70 and 82 cooperate by pressing oneagainst the other to seal off the front and rear of the scrubber. Thusin a closed position the interior volume of the scrubber between the topand bottom carriages as bounded in part by the sealing faces 68, 80 andflaps 70, 82 defines a relatively liquid tight cleaning zone 49.

[0045] Referring again to FIG. 4, it should be appreciated that spacebetween the interior transverse dividing wall 84 and the front wall 50of the bottom carriage defines a fluid collecting sump 85. This sumppreferably has a false bottom 86 that slopes downward front to back. Anopening 88 in the dividing wall 84 drains fluid into a drainage chamber90, which in turn communicates with the scrubber outlet 56 (FIGS. 1 and3). A fan 92 in the chamber (see FIG. 3) is operated to help expelfluids from the sump through outlet 56. Operation of the fan alsocreates a slight negative pressure within the closed scrubber to helpprevent the escape of fluids from between the closed top and bottomcarriages.

[0046] Next to the drainage chamber 90 is a motor compartment 94. Thiscompartment provides a liquid-free environment for an electric motor 96that is used to drive the fan and the scrubber brushes 100. The verticalsupport 26 sits over the drainage chamber 90 and motor compartment 94. Afront face 102 of the vertical support is disposed generally at aninclined angle to support the top carriage in a closed position.

[0047] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the top carriage 22 is shownas having an a plurality of top brushes 100 a. These brushes extendacross the top carriage wherein the ends of the brushes are journaled tothe interior side walls 62. Likewise, the bottom carriage 24 has aplurality of bottom brushes 100 b that extend across the bottom carriagewherein the ends of the brushes are journaled to the interior side walls74.

[0048] As described above, the interior side walls 62 of the topcarriage each has a plurality of spaced notches 65 (also seen in FIG.6). The notches on opposite interior walls 62 are paired and receive theends of the brushes 100 a. In a similar manner, the bottom carriage hasits interior side walls 74 provided with a plurality of spaced notches75 (FIGS. 4 and 5) that are paired to receive the ends of the brushes100 b.

[0049] The disposition of the brushes 100 a and 100 b allows the brushbristles to pass through the cleaning zone 49 when the top and bottomcarriages are closed and the brushes are rotated. Rotation of thebrushes is accomplished through a system of gears and timing beltsdriven by the motor 96.

[0050] The drive system for rotating the brushes 100 a and 100 b isshown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, there are cooperating components ofthe drive system in the top carriage 22, bottom carriage 24 and in thevertical support 26. The drive system includes a sprocket 104 driven bythe motor 96. The sprocket 104 meshes with a drive gear 106. The drivegear 106 in turn is connected by a timing belt 108 to a driven gear 110at the top of the vertical support 26. It is important to note that therotational axis of this driven gear 110 is the axis of the hinge 28holding the top carriage 22 to the vertical support so the axis of thedriven gear 110 corresponds to the pivot point 30. A second timing belt112 extends from the driven gear and drives a plurality of sprockets114.

[0051] The sprockets 114 are all journaled to a drive support bar 116.This support bar is fixed to an interior side wall 62 of the topcarriage within one of the channels 64 (shown in FIG. 6). The sprockets114 are spaced along the support bar so that each sprocket 114 alignswith one of the notches 65 along one side of the top carriage. A drivenend of each brush 100 a extends through the notch for connection to asprocket. After the support bar is fixed in its channel, the channel iscovered by one of the channel caps 66. The opposite end of each brush100 a is supported in a bearing (not shown) located in the paired notch65 on the opposite interior side wall 62. Preferably the ends of thebrushes are releaseably engaged with the sprockets 114 and bearings sothat the brushes can be easily removed and replaced.

[0052] The drive gear 106 also meshes with a driven gear 118. The drivengear 118 is connected by a timing belt 120 to a first sprocket 122associated with the bottom carriage 24. A second timing belt 123 extendsfrom the sprocket 122 and drives a plurality of like sprockets 122. Eachof the sprockets 122 is journaled to a drive support bar 124. Thissupport bar is fixed to one of the interior walls 74 of the bottomcarriage 24 within one of the channels 76 (shown in FIG. 4). Thesprockets are spaced so that each sprocket 122 aligns with one of thenotches 75 along one side of the bottom carriage. A driven end of eachbrush 100 b extends through the notch for connection to a sprocket 122.After the support bar 124 is fixed in its channel, the channel iscovered by one of the channel caps 78 as shown in FIG. 4. The oppositeend of each brush 100 b is supported in a bearing (not shown) located inthe paired notch on the opposite interior side wall 74.

[0053] Preferably the ends of the brushes 100 b are releaseably engagedwith the sprockets 122 and bearings so that the brushes can be easilyremoved and replaced. A thin gasket may be used depending upon thedegree of leak prevention from the sump 85 that is desired.Additionally, an overflow hole (not shown) in the transverse wall ispositioned to prevent fluid from rising above the brush drives.

[0054] With the arrangement as shown in FIG. 7, the motor 96 drives thelower set of sprockets 122 and these in turn drive each of the brushes100 b in the bottom carriage. Thus, when the motor 96 is activated, thelower sprockets 122 spin, and in doing so spin the bottom brushes 100 b.The motor 96 further drives the exhaust fan 92 in the drainage chamber90 that communicates with the outlet 56. The exhaust fan 92 is arrangedto vent waste fluids from the bottom carriage 24 out through the outlet56. As noted above, the bottom carriage preferably has a sloped bottom86 to facilitate the flow of waste towards the opening 88 and outlet 56.Operation of the exhaust fan also creates a slight negative pressurewithin the scrubber 20 and this serves to reduce fluids from leakingfrom the scrubber 20.

[0055] The motor also drives the upper set of sprockets 114 and these inturn drive each of the brushes 100 a in the top carriage. Thedisposition of the brushes allows the brush bristles to pass through thecleaning zone 49 between the carriages when the brushes are rotated.Preferably there is some space (the cleaning zone 49) between thebristles of the top and bottom brushes so that the top and bottombrushes do not touch.

[0056] However, it is preferred that each set of brushes 100 a and 100 bbe disposed so there is some interference between the bristles as thebrushes of each set rotate through the cleaning zone 49. This allows thebrushes in a set to clean each other wherein the bristles of one brushof the set contact the bristles of another brush in the set. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 7 all the lower brushes 100 b rotate in thesame direction. This means that where the brushes touch, there isperipheral interference in that the bristles are moving in oppositedirections. This peripheral interference causes the brushes to clean oneanother.

[0057] While rotation of the brushes in the same direction is preferred,the sprockets and timing belts may be arranged such that adjacent onesof the top and bottom brushes 100 a and 100 b rotate in the same oropposite directions. As noted above, the ends of the brushes 100 a and100 b preferably are snapped into and out of position with the sprocketsand bearings in the walls 62, 74 of the top and bottom carriagesrespectively. This permits replacing and/or interchanging the bottom andtop brushes with brushes having bristles comprising different propertiesof stiffness, composition, texture, etc. so the brushes can be changedto accommodate different scrubbing situations.

[0058] In operation, a user opens the scrubber 20 by raising the topcarriage 22 as shown in FIG. 5 to gain access to the scrubber interior.An object to be cleaned is placed into the scrubber. The top carriage isclosed and latch 58 is engaged to lock the top and bottom carriages in aclosed position. In the closed position, the hinge 28 aligns the topcarriage 22 and bottom carriage 24 causing the top brushes 100 a andbottom brushes 100 b to become substantially parallel, as shown in FIGS.1, 3 and 7. The support face 102 of the vertical support 26 is disposedat an inclined angle and there is a complimentary angled surface 103 onthe top carriage. Accordingly, the hinge 28 between the top carriage 22and bottom carriage 24 also is angled. This not only enables opening andshutting of the scrubber 20, but also allows the angled support face 102to support a portion of the weight of the top carriage when the scrubberis closed. The support offered by the support face 102 for thecomplimentary surface 103 on the top carriage prevents excessive forcesfrom causing the top and bottom brushes 100 a, 100 b respectively totouch.

[0059]FIG. 8 shows the cleaning of a shovel, rake or other implementhaving a handle 126 that extends out of the scrubber. When the carriagesare in a closed and locked position, the flaps 70,82 drape around thehandle and deform so as to provide a seal around the handle extendingfrom the scrubber. If the object to be cleaned does not have a handle,it is held by tongs or other holder that extend from the scrubber. Withthe tongs or object handle extending outside the cleaning zone, theobject can be moved and manipulated within the scrubber by the user tocontact all surfaces against the brushes 100 a and 100 b.

[0060] The latch 58 is used when the user places the objects to becleaned inside the scrubber 20 and closes the top carriage 22 downwardlyonto the bottom carriage 24. If the object to be cleaned is large, thelatch 58 may be left unlatched so the top and bottom carriages are ajar.In extreme cases and for larger objects, the top carriage may be partlyopen.

[0061] After the object is in position, the user presses the trigger 46that starts the motor 96 and spins the brushes. Fluids, steam, and acleaner are introduced as needed through the respective fluid andcleaner inlets 40, 42. Operation of the motor 96 drives the verticalbelt 108, which in turn drives the driven gear 110 that drives the topcarriage drive belt 112. This driven gear 110 rotates about an axis 30that corresponds to the axis of the hinge 28. With this arrangement,there is no stretching of the vertical belt 108 and top carriage drivebelt 112 when the top carriage 22 is swung through an arc to open andclose the scrubber. In this respect as the scrubber top carriage 22 isopened the vertical drive belt 108 and the top carriage drive belt 112simply rotate around the hinge axis (pivot point 30) and do not stretch.This ensures smooth operation when closing and opening the scrubber.Also with this arrangement, neither the vertical belt 108 nor topcarriage drive belt 112 is tightened, loosed, damaged, or misaligned bythe repeated opening and closing of the top carriage 22.

[0062] For cleaning smaller objects a holding basket 128 is provided asshown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The basket may comprise a mesh basket made of ametal, plastic, or other durable material and combinations thereof holdssmall objects and prevents the free movement of the objects in thescrubber cleaning zone. The basket 128 has top and bottom portions 130,132 respectively that are hinged together at 134 so the basket can befully opened. Legs 136, 138 serve to support the basket in the cleaningzone.

[0063] The basket is sized so as to fit between the top and bottombrushes 100 a and 100 b, as shown in FIG. 10. It is noted that the meshstructure of the basket 128 allows the brush bristles to penetrate thebasket and scrub the articles held in the basket. The basket issupported in the cleaning zone 49 by its legs 136, 138 that stand on thesloped bottom of the bottom carriage 24. To maintain the basket level inthe cleaning zone, the basket legs 136, 138 are of an uneven height orare adjustable.

[0064] In operation and with the top and scrubber closed, the flaps 70,82 and the seal as formed between the faces 68, 80 of the caps 66, 78keep the cleaning fluids within the scrubber interior and the exhaustfan 92 moves the waste out of the scrubber through the fluid outlet 56.After cleaning, the scrubber 20 is opened and the article is removed.The same process occurs when smaller articles to be cleaned are loadedinto the basket 128 and then placed in the scrubber interior 52. Incases where the article to be cleaned is too large to fit into thescrubber, the user may place only a portion of the article to be cleanedin the scrubber at a time and then repeatedly open and close the topcarriage while the brushes are spinning so different portion of thearticle are inserted and cleaned.

[0065] Preferably, the brushes 100 a and 100 b are provided with abristle structure that tends to direct fluids inward towards the centerof the cleaning zone. This aids in preventing the escape of fluids frombetween the faces 68, 80 of the caps 66, 78 respectively. The bristlestructure also preferably directs fluids towards the rear of thescrubber. Thus, the spinning of the brushes acts to direct the fluidsinward away from the sides 32, 48 and towards the outlet 56 at the rearof the scrubber.

[0066] An embodiment of the invention as been described wherein thesupport bars 116, 124 are fixed to the interior walls 62, 74 of the topand bottom carriages respectively. However these support bars may bespring loaded or be adjustable so as to provide greater flexibility foraccommodating articles of various sizes. For example FIG. 7 shows thatthe support bars may be connected to the carriage top 38 and bottom 54by springs 140, 142 respectfully. This spring loading biases the supportrods 116, 124 (and therefore the brushes 100 a, 100 b) together andtowards the center of the cleaning zone. However, if a large article isplaced in the cleaning zone, the springs allow the support bars (andtherefore the brushes) to move apart to accommodate the larger articlewithin the closed and latched scrubber.

[0067] The drive system has been described as comprising a system ofsprockets and timing belts. However it should be appreciated that thebrushes also can be driven by a system of gears that mesh to transferthe rotary drive of the motor to each of the brushes 100 a and 100 b. Inthis case the gears would replace the timing belts 112 and 123. Meshinggears also can replace the timing belt 108 so long as the driven gear110 is retained that has its rotational axis the axis of the hinge 28.

[0068] Thus, the present scrubber 20 of the present invention providesfor a methodology of cleaning any of a plurality of differently sizedarticles with brushes of differing stiffness in rapid reliable fashion.It is further noted the scrubber 20 may be of a small size such that itis readily transportable.

[0069] In other embodiments, the scrubber 20 may be comprised of plasticcomponents such that it is useable in houses and kitchens. In otherembodiments the scrubber 20 may comprise industrial sized parts and bemade of heavy duty metal components. The scrubber may be battery poweredand may be embodied so that the cleansing fluids are filtered andrecirculated through the scrubber 20. This provides an economy both interms of cost and the amounts of cleaning fluids used.

[0070] In yet other embodiments, the vertical support member 26 maycomprise means for vertical adjustment, which allows the distancebetween the top and bottom carriages 22, 24 respectively, to be variedby moving them closer or farther apart as desired in order toaccommodate differently sized objects. This embodiment however requiresthe replacement or adjustment of the timing belt 108 as the height ofthe support member changes.

[0071] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while thescrubber is described in detail in connection with the particularembodiments and examples, the present scrubber is not necessarily solimited and that other embodiments, examples, uses, and modificationsand departures from the embodiments, examples, and uses may be madewithout departing from the scrubber as claimed.

Having described the invention in detail, what is claimed as new is: 1.A scrubber comprising: a) a bottom carriage including at least onetransverse rotary brush; b) a vertical support extending above thebottom carriage; c) a top carriage including at least one transverserotary brush; d) a hinge connecting the top carriages to the verticalsupport, the hinge allowing movement of the top carriage relative to thevertical support between an open and a closed position about a hingeaxis to respectively open and close the scrubber; e) a drive systemhaving cooperating components arranged in the bottom carriage, thevertical support and the top carriage for rotating the brushes in thetop and bottom carriages; and f) one of the components of the drivesystem being a rotary component having its rotational axis correspondingto the hinge axis.
 2. A scrubber as in claim 1 wherein the top carriagecomprises: a) a top, front and rear walls, opposite side walls and anopen bottom; b) an interior wall spaced from each of the side walls; andc) a plurality of brushes journaled at their ends to each of theinterior walls.
 3. A scrubber as in claim 2 wherein the top carriageincludes a piping system attached to the underside of the top forintroducing fluids into the scrubber.
 4. A scrubber as in claim 2wherein the components of the drive system arranged in the top carriageinclude a plurality of driven sprockets disposed in a space definedbetween one of the interior walls and an adjacent side wall and the topcarriage includes a plurality of brushes, each brush having an enddriven by one of the driven sprockets.
 5. A scrubber as in claim 4including a cap extending between the interior wall and the adjacentside wall providing a cover for the space therebetween.
 6. A scrubber asin claim 1 wherein the rotary component transfers a drive force from thecomponent of the drive system arranged in the vertical support to thecomponent of the drive system located in the top carriage.
 7. A scrubberas in claim 1 wherein the bottom carriage comprises: a) a bottom, frontand rear walls, opposite side walls and an open top; b) an interior wallspaced from each of the side walls; and c) a plurality of brushesjournaled at their ends to each of the interior walls.
 8. A scrubber asin claim 7 wherein the components of the drive system arranged in thebottom carriage include a plurality of driven sprockets disposed in aspace defined between one of the bottom carriage interior walls and anadjacent side wall and the bottom carriage includes a plurality ofbrushes, each brush having an end driven by one of the driven sprockets.9. A scrubber as in claim 8 including a cap extending between the bottomcarriage interior wall and the adjacent side wall providing a cover forthe space therebetween.
 10. A scrubber as in claim 7 wherein the bottomcarriage includes a sump having a false bottom sloped downward fromfront to back and the rear wall includes a discharge outlet for removingfluids and debris from the scrubber.
 11. A scrubber as in claim 10wherein the bottom carriage includes a transverse dividing wall spacedfrom and extending generally parallel to the rear wall, the spacebetween the transverse dividing wall and rear wall being in turn dividedinto a liquid tight motor compartment and a drainage chamber thatcommunicates with both the sump and discharge outlet.
 12. A scrubber asin claim 11 including a fan in the drainage chamber driven by a motor inthe motor chamber, the fan acting to create a slight negative pressurein the scrubber and to facilitate the discharge of fluids and debrisfrom the scrubber.
 13. A scrubber as in claim 1 wherein the drive systemcomprises: a) a motor in the bottom carriage; b) driven sprocketscarried by each of the bottom and top carriages and connectable to eachof the brushes in the bottom and top carriages respectively; c) thedrive system components in the top and bottom carriages operativelyconnecting the motor with each of the driven sprockets; d) the drivesystem component arranged in the vertical support driving the rotarycomponent; and e) the drive system component arranged in the topcarriage for rotating the brushes in the top carriage being driven offof the rotary component.
 14. A scrubber as in claim 13 wherein the drivesystem component arranged in the vertical support is a timing belt. 15.A scrubber as in claim 13 wherein the drive system components in each ofthe top and bottom carriages includes at least one timing belt extendingto each of the driven sprockets.
 16. A scrubber as in claim 1 whereinthe vertical support has an inclined surface and the top carriage has acomplimentary inclined surface that rest one against the other such thatthe inclined surface of the vertical support supports at least part ofthe weight of the top carriage when the top carriage is in a closedposition.
 17. A scrubber as in claim 1 including cooperating flapsdepending from the front wall of the top carriage and upstanding fromthe front wall of the bottom carriage to suppress the discharge offluids from within the scrubber.
 18. A scrubber as in claim 17 whereinthe cooperating flaps are arranged to drape and seal about a handleextending from an object that is disposed for cleaning between the topand bottom carriages.
 19. A scrubber as in claim 1 including a removablewire mesh basket for holding an object to be cleaned, the basket beinglocated in the bottom carriage and between the brushes of the top andbottom carriages.
 20. A scrubber comprising: a) a top carriage includingat least one rotatable brush and a cleaning fluid inlet; b) a bottomcarriage including at least one rotatable brush and a spent cleaningfluid out let; c) vertical support extending above the bottom carriage;d) a hinge connecting the top carriages to the vertical support, thehinge allowing movement of the top carriage relative to the verticalsupport between an open and a closed position about a hinge axis torespectively open and close the scrubber; e) a drive system for rotatingthe brushes, the drive system having cooperating drive componentsarranged in the bottom carriage, the vertical support and the topcarriage, one of the components of the drive system being a rotarycomponent having its rotational axis corresponding to hinge axis; and f)cooperating flaps at the front of the top and bottom carriages tosuppress the discharge of fluids from between the top and bottomcarriages, the flaps arranged to deform about a portion of an objectextending through the flaps and into a space between the brushes of thetop and bottom carriages so as to provide a seal about the portionextending though the flaps.
 21. A scrubber as in claim 20 wherein eachof the top and bottom carriages have opposite exterior side walls toppedby a cap and the caps on the respective top and bottom carriage sidewalls pressing one against another to provide a seal to prevent theescape of fluids from along the along the opposite sides of the top andbottom carriages.
 22. A scrubber as in claim 21 wherein: a) each of thetop and bottom carriages has an interior side wall adjacent one of theexterior side walls, the exterior and interior side walls of therespective top and bottom carriages defining a space therebetween forhousing components of the drive system; b) the brushes in the top andbottom carriages are journaled to the interior side walls are journaledto the interior side walls and are releaseably connected to thecomponents of the drive system disposed in the spaces; and c) the capsclosing off the spaces.